Why You Study Martial Arts? Pls Tell Us.

[konghan]

I`ve been involve in martial art particularly with Ngo Cho Kun kung fu for almost 25 yrs now. Ngo Cho Kun is a southern style that is well known in South East asia & at Okinawa- Japan. This style emphasied on power punching, power short snap kicks with & quick coordinated hand & feet movement plus many more other practicle techniques with its main source of power development is in what we call the 5 powers.

I was born & grew up in a third world country a place where knowing how to fight is very important to survive not only in the school yard but on the street as well. Maggers & holdups are a very common thing in where I came from.

That is why I started training in kung fu becuase of self defense & in fact it came in handy a lot of times when I had to fend off some street maggers 4x plus it develop my sense of identifying danger & automatically reacting to it. Later on my purpose of training further was to participate on tournaments & to apply my ngo cho kun on those tournaments. And proudly, I must say it was an effective technique.

Also, kung fu brought me closer to understanding my roots as an oversea-Chinese ( hwa qiao ) & I became more attached to my chinese heritage. as of now after migrating here to Canada i`m spending time to develop further my knowlege & skill on Ngo Cho kun & I`m training my two kids in the hope that they will become good ngo cho kun fighters.

Its just too bad that there is no Ngo Cho Kun training centre here in metroVancouver area.

[Dim Wit Moc]

Konghan: It sounds to me like you and your not so well known style of kung fu have a great deal to offer. Consider looking into what it takes to be a successful instructor and businessman. You may want to train a few students in your garage kwoon on a part time basis, and perhaps acquire the capital to get going with a full fledge kwoon in the future. In case you haven't noticed there are a lot of "kung fu guys are flowery wushu wimps and really can't fight" type threads abounding in various places. You sound like the kind of person who isn't so hung up on the "classical mess" that you wouldn't be adverse to learning grappling and adding it to your system since you know what blood looks like. My position has always been that kung fu can speak loudly in real fighting, especially when reality isn't ignored, such as "I'll show how flexable I am by kicking high, but have no clue what to do when my leg is caught and I'm taken to the ground" type of thinking. Some will disagree strongly, but that's how I feel.

At any rate, share your knowledge of, what sounds to me like a real fighting, style. All the best.

Larry Barber

[konghan]

Konghan: It sounds to me like you and your not so well known style of kung fu have a great deal to offer. Consider looking into what it takes to be a successful instructor and businessman. You may want to train a few students in your garage kwoon on a part time basis, and perhaps acquire the capital to get going with a full fledge kwoon in the future. In case you haven't noticed there are a lot of "kung fu guys are flowery wushu wimps and really can't fight" type threads abounding in various places. You sound like the kind of person who isn't so hung up on the "classical mess" that you wouldn't be adverse to learning grappling and adding it to your system since you know what blood looks like. My position has always been that kung fu can speak loudly in real fighting, especially when reality isn't ignored, such as "I'll show how flexable I am by kicking high, but have no clue what to do when my leg is caught and I'm taken to the ground" type of thinking. Some will disagree strongly, but that's how I feel.

At any rate, share your knowledge of, what sounds to me like a real fighting, style. All the best.

Larry Barber

I would love to teach in a real gym class but I`m not a good businessman, I prefer to concentrate on teaching & leave the business thing to somebody else.

During my time ( 25+ yrs ago ) learning kung fu was a previlage & a great honor. Wanting to learn & to fight was just part of it but the main part was about culture & tradition. Training was a step by step process, it was about being interested to learn & showing deligent , pateince & hardwork but most of all it was about comaderei , brotherhood , community work & patriotism. That is why martial art schools are always tragetted & banned during the old days in China they are either for or against the goverment. And during that time martial art was a great threat to China`s existing goverment. Martial art fighters from those schools who always find themselves outnumbered tend to fight better than goverment forces.

Learning kung fu also at that time was about showing respect to your school, schoolmates, style & most of all to your Sifu. I don`t know much about other styles concept or principle but in our school our master`s priniciple is that for every technique there is always a counter technique.

Now a days, learning MA is all about fighting, money & not just fighting they want to learn it now. There is no more respect for the style. Students will switch from one style or school to another & Sifus have been deregulated into baby sitters.

[Crabpuff]

I would have to say the there are many reasons for learning. Self-defense would have to be the last since i tend to be a pacifists. Discipline of mind and body, as well as health benefits. But to me it is an Art like any other. Just like some like music or painting, Martial Arts has been a fascination since i was a boy.

[Dim Wit Moc]

konghan: There is hope concerning bringing about a true understanding of what martial arts should be, and education is the key to this. I am reading a fantastic book right now called, "Living the Martial Way" by Forrest E. Morgan. I can't put it down. I believe that everyone who is seriously interested in martial arts should read it. Many people are discovering that the martial arts are a lot more than fighting. The way of the warrior is a lifestyle. Even if people disagree with much of what is said, there is a solid basis for much interesting give and take. I still feel that you should begin a small teaching situation. Business practices, like martial arts, can be learned. Start small and then expand to the point, but not beyond, where you feel comfortable. You may not want a kwoon the size of a jazzercise class, but you can decide how big is big enough. You sound like a true warrior with much to offer.

[guy incognito]

guy incognito

Dim wit is right(despite the name no offence intended)Start small in your garage and learn how to keep books for a small amount of people.You obviosly feel an obligation to pass on youe knowledge and thats great to hear.
I stared in martial arts in year 9 high school because i was always the target of bullies.By year 11 everyone knew i trained martial arts and left me alone.After that i learnt that its not just about fighting but so much more.It opened my mind to a whole world of posibilities.

[BulletProofMonk]

One always has to defend one honour. My path is spiritual as well as honourable. I think all martial artists should get together and make the world a better place since crime, starvation are on the increase. We must fight in what we believe in.

[konghan]

One always has to defend one honour. My path is spiritual as well as honourable. I think all martial artists should get together and make the world a better place since crime, starvation are on the increase. We must fight in what we believe in.

One of the basic reason for the birth of MA is to fight for the oppressed, that is why many original old masters their stories & life include helpng the poor thru community & social services of providing free medical consultation & healing.

[m.artist]

growing up in bakersfield california was rough for me(being the only white kid in a city where everyone is racist against you) so martial arts was a way i could express my self, and help defend myself and it gave me something to look forward to. for instance, if i where to get into a fight and there were people watching, i would want to put on a show, and win at the same time.

but that was when i was a tad bit more ingnorant and nowhere near as experienced

now i do ma's for the philosophy, the technique, and to be able to protect myself, or family when the time arises. i also hope to make it my life. i would love to have a job that required me to use my ma skills day in and day out. that's why i do martial arts. to protect and benifit society.
but also because it's fun.

[konghan]

Thats` what make TMA unique & different from other form of combat styles. Fighting is just one part of TMA, philosophy, understanding the value of life & the education of oneself to become a better person is the main part.

Another characteristics of most TDM masters are that they have a good philisophical knowledge.

" Put Life into your MA forms & feel the essence of fits powers".

[old skool dude]

Why study Martial Arts

I'd like to weigh in on this discussion, as I dont often have a chance to reflect on this.
I was "chosen" by my friend Earl, to study with him at age 11. I was the typical bookish, nerdy kid who was an easy target for bullies in school, and when my buddy Earl began learning Hung Gar at age 11, he begged his mom to take me along, and she did. I'll always be grateful to Earl for that, as he gave me something to help order my thinking , train my body, and help me feel "special" at such a crucial developing stage in my life.
I found martial arts practice enormously helpful in breaking down racial and social barriers at an early age. I met African Americans, Asians, & Caucasians who all had one thing in common and all worked hard towards achieving similiar goals. It was, and is a beautiful thing.
Hung Gar Set a foundation at an early age, but I was soon introduced to Goju by a bystander who saw me practicing kicks in a community parking lot one day. I traveled alone to Harlem 3 times a week to study Peter Urban's system of Goju, Taught by Sensei Sam McGee and Leon Wallace. The Training was hard, tought, and we fought full contact bare knuckle! In college I was intoduced to Pikiti Tirsha Arnis/Eskrima by a student who walked into the martial arts club one day swinging a pair of sticks. I was "hynotized" by the criss/crossing patterns (known as sinawali) and asked him to introduce me to his teacher. Instead of introducing me right away, he had me practice a couple of patterns and months later introduced me to his instructor.
I was hooked every since.
Out of all the arts I find the filipino martial arts closer to my personality bent due to the spontaneous nature of the art.
I could go on, but I've rambled long enough.

[guy incognito]

cool story do u still know earl?

[old skool dude]

do I still know earl....

Earl moved from my area several years ago, but I did get a chance to personally thank him, and even asked him why he "chose me" to study with him, His reply was "cause you needed it!'
Earl went on to study wing chun with one of carter wong's students, Eswaldo, who we both knew in grade school. I had an opportunity to learn also but declined, and now am literally kicking myself!! I remember trying to spar this guy in gym class every Friday and he was virually untouchable! The one thing I remember was that he hit me hard and often!! (he wasnt malicious about it though) One of the curious things I remember about sparring Eswaldo, was that he was always calm and relaxed, in contrast to my being agitated... AARRRGGH! I can still kick myself for not learning the style!!

[guy incognito]

Careful your inviting insult if you have good things to say about wing chun!
Is he related to Dana Wong?

[Tjang]

Hi, Konghan, Dim Wit Moc, BulletProofMonk, etc:

First, I am amazed to see that some of us have consistently practiced martial arts for such a long time. Konghan, for example, has practiced for almost 25 years! Congratulations! However, I believe at some time you may feel bored doing the practices again and again, what do you usually do at such moments? How do you overcome boredome?

Second, Dim Wit Moc, I cannot find the book you mentioned (Living the Martial Way, by Forrest E Morgan) in my area, so will you quote some very good sentences from the book? Please share some of the best of it. I believe it will not be against the copy-right, as you mention the source.

Third, I agree with BulletProofMonk, that “all martial artists should get together and make the world a better place since crime, starvation are on the increase.” Unfortunately, many good-martial-artists also use the skills to do bad things. I think there are thieves and robbers who are also expert-martial-artists. It is a great pity, don’t you think so? But, frankly, I haven’t done any surveys. Even worse, those people may be jobless and therefore have more time to practice every day, thus they may be better than us who work on daily basis. Any ideas?